Do you like gold items? Do you know that gold is the only precious metal that has many shades and comes in all colors of the rainbow? It really is. Gold can be yellow, white, red, pink, green, gray, blue, blue, purple and even black! With certain treatments and technical manipulations, you can get gold of any color.
The color of the precious metal depends on the chemical compounds, which are the main components of the material. In this article we will talk about blue gold and a little touch on other shades.
The history of the origin of heavenly metal
Even ancient jewelers conducted various experiments on the alloy of precious metals, adding ordinary metals to them. As a result of centuries of experience, we have the widest range of gold alloys, and as a result - a lot of jewelry for every taste and color.
Scientists have proven that blue gold was first discovered at the Scythians. As a result of excavations, jewelry of this heavenly color of metal was found of stunning beauty. Since this artifact was of high value, no one undertook to investigate the composition of Scythian masters. But there is information that the ancient alchemists received blue gold as a result of combining an alloy 1/3 consisting of iron and 2/3 of natural gold. When testing this hypothesis, it was found that the compound turned out to be unstable and after a couple of days, corrosion appeared on the gold as a result of oxidation. It is not necessary to speak of it as a precious metal; the alloy refers more to gilded steel.
The cost of blue metal
Since the manufacturing process of this metal is still surrounded by secrets, not every master can boast of the possibility of obtaining it. It is only known that the process itself is time-consuming, and therefore the price of this metal is higher than that of ordinary gold (from 10,000 rubles per 1 gram). As a rule, this is an individual order that comes from a client with a high income. After all, making such an ornament for general sale is unprofitable.
Not only the precious metal alloy and the complexity of the work depends on the cost of jewelry. The price is determined by the following factors:
- artistic idea of the product;
- the presence and volume of gems included in the composition of the jewelry;
- level of professional skill, name of a jeweler or jewelry factory.
Composition of blue gold
In order for gold to turn blue, indium is added to it. As a result of this compound, a metal is formed which is sufficiently corrosion-unstable. And it is rarely used as the main component of jewelry, more often used as jewelry decor.
Another chemical element that can color natural gold blue is rhodium. The famous jeweler from Argentina, Antoniassi, was able to develop the alloy recipe in such a way that the sample of blue gold is almost 958 (pure gold is 90% of the total). But the recipe for blue gold is kept under the strictest confidence. The only thing that was possible to learn from the Argentine master - the addition of small doses of cobalt gives the precious metal a gentle blue glow.
Blue metal
But with this alloy, everything is much simpler. Some craftsmen make it of natural gold with the addition of chromium and iron. The resulting alloy is quite brittle, and it will not work out completely. It is used only as one of the decor elements. To give the blueness and strength to the precious metal, its composition should be as follows:
- the main component is pure gold;
- 22% steel;
- 25% of expensive rare earth metals (including 2.5% platinum and 0.5% iridium).
Such a composition will allow the precious metal to wear a test with the designation 750.
There is another way to get a saturated color of blue gold. It is necessary to combine yellow gold (46%) and indium (54%). Then blue gold will turn out with a grayish tint. And if gallium acts as an additive, the shade will be light, more blue than blue. The sample will be assigned 585.
Such an alloy is an expensive and brittle metal, so only elite workshops can produce jewelry from it and use blue gold as a decor because of its physical and technical characteristics.
Red pure gold
This metal still has another name - pure gold. It received it due to the fact that this alloy was used for the manufacture of coins, namely for gold coins. In tsarist coins, the share of natural gold was very high and amounted to 90% (sample 900). Currently, red gold has lost its meaning, but in everyday life the name has been preserved. To achieve a red tint, copper is added to it. Currently, red gold corresponds to sample 585, and its composition, in addition to copper (33.5%), also includes silver (8%). It is jewelry made of this metal that makes up half of the total volume of the Russian gold jewelry market.
Colored gold
To obtain the desired shade of the precious metal, scientists and experienced jewelers, through trial and error, developed various technologies and compounds of chemical elements in alloys with pure gold. Often, the required chemical element is coated on the metal surface, and the necessary shade is achieved under the influence of thermal or chemical reactions. But this is the easiest way, there are other methods:
- oxidation;
- oxidation;
- patination;
- electroplating;
- rhodium;
- chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon;
Not so long ago, a new method of producing colored gold (any desired shade) was discovered by the efforts of English scientists. Depending on the selected program, the necessary penetration depth and wavelength of the ion beam directed to the metal surface are set. Thus, at the atomic level, the color of gold changes. This method is called ionic.
One of the latest fashion trends in jewelry is a combination of various shades of metals. So you can get a tandem of white, yellow and red gold or buy an ornament where it will be interesting to combine white and black gold.
Jewelry for many centuries has been perfected by mankind: new discoveries have been made, which constantly gave impetus to the development of new trends in fashion. This is an inexhaustible source of creativity that will always attract and fascinate people with the extraordinary beauty of precious metals.